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Archive for June, 2009

Greetings from Alaska where the fish are running and the sun is shining late!

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with Governor Palin as we visited Central New York, Manhattan, Long Island, Washington, D.C. and Texas.

It never ceases to amaze me that every time we travel together, virtually every moment of her time is spent talking to and caring for others, while listening to and learning from them as well – like brave, young Robert whose life we celebrated at the Autism Speaks Walk or the historical voices of the strong men and women upon whose shoulders we stand, including Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony and former Secretary William H. Seward.

Below, I attached a quick note from the Governor which she penned before leaving the country last week. I am attaching it to this memo because I am asking you to help Governor Palin and SarahPAC today!

SarahPAC needs to be in the position to help fund candidates who are going to fight for what we all believe – smaller government, less spending, and fewer taxes. With your help, we can take the Governor’s message and encourage others who also have hope and are firmly rooted in the conservative belief that you know how best to spend your money and not government.

I wanted to drop you a quick note about my trip earlier this month – a whirlwind tour and an opportunity to share a bit more about Alaska. (I am writing this before heading overseas to visit our Troops; I know that will be a most inspiring journey!)

It is such a treat to talk to everyone about Alaska and hear stories of fishing, hunting, and camping. And it thrills me to hear from those who wish to visit our beautiful state! Alaska has much to offer – from her magnificent glaciers to her abundant natural resources to fuel our homes and businesses.

When we travel outside Alaska, the hospitality is always overwhelming, and Todd and I so enjoyed meeting many new people on our recent trip to the Lower 48 – all emblematic of so many across this country who are willing to give of time, energy and effort to help one another.

It was thrilling to see the look on both young and old faces as I traveled to New York, Washington, D.C. and Texas. Words can never express the incredible spirit of all those who dedicate their lives to making even one life more comfortable.

Todd and I always recognize how grateful and proud we are to be citizens of the United States. We are so very blessed.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin cuts a cake made in the image of the Alaska State flag. She then served the cake to the troops of the Alaska Army National Guard while visiting with her troops currently serving at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, as part of ongoing peacekeeping operations. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin meets with children Friday, June 26, at the Ferizaj/Urosevac community center, Kosovo where Soldiers of the Alaska Army National Guard volunteer their time to teach local children English. Gov. Palin traveled to Kosovo, to visit with her troops and express thanks to all the Soldiers stationed at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, for their service to the United States. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Mirjeta Morina a volunteer who teaches English courses to children at the Ferizaj/Urosevac community center, Kosovo greets Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Friday, June 26, as she visits the center while on a trip to visit Army National Guard Soldiers currently stationed in Kosovo. While stationed in Kosovo, the Alaska Soldiers volunteer to teach English to students as part of adopt a school program; Gov. Palin took time to visit the students that Soldiers volunteer their time with. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin poses with children that the Alaska Army National Guard teach English to at the Ferizaj/Urosevac community center, Kosovo. The Alaska troops are currently deployed to Kosovo, as part of the United Nations Kosovo force mission bringing stability to the region. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was presented an Alaskan flag encased in a plaque; the flag was flown over Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, where Alaska Army National Troops are currently stationed as part of a peacekeeping mission to the region. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took time to pose for a photo with Chief Warrant Officer 4, Wayne Solee during a meet and greet with Soldiers of Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, Friday, June 26. The governor traveled to Kosovo to visit members of Alaska’s Army National Guard currently deployed to Kosovo on a NATO peace keeping mission. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visits troops at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, Friday, June 26. The governor traveled to Kosovo to visit members of her home state’s Alaska Army National Guard currently deployed to Kosovo in peace keeping operations. The governor took time to speak with all the troops stationed at Camp Bondsteel during a town hall meeting. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin poses for a group shot with California Army National Guard Soldiers deployed to Kosovo on a peacekeeping mission at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo. Palin traveled to Kosovo to visit Alaska Army National Guard troops stationed in the region as part of the Kosovo force peacekeeping mission. Photo by Sgt. Adam-David Pepper, 69th Public Affairs Detachment

Commentary

Transformational Leadership — Honors Given

The first photo speaks volumes. This is Transformational Leadership in action. Governor Palin is cutting cake and serving it to her troops in that photo. Transformational Leaders see themselves as servants. They’re never self-absorbed. They have strong objective egos, and do not fancy themselves as divas, stars, holier than thou, or “more important.” They understand that continuing in their leadership position is contingent upon results — in fact, they go out of their way to ensure such.

This theme continues with the next three photos showing Governor Palin’s meeting with children who learn English as taught by our soldiers volunteering their time, and a meeting with some of those volunteers.

Honors and Awards Receieved

Governor Palin was honored with an Alaska State Flag, encased in a plaque box frame. The awarded flag had flown over Camp Bondsteel in regular service.

“As commander-in-chief, Governor Palin is the one we look to for leadership and inspiration while serving and defending the sovereign boundaries of Alaska,” said Lt. Gen. (AK) Craig E. Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard(Kosovo, 2009, ¶4).

You know, the definition of insanity is doing the same stupid thing over and over, and expecting different results. With that in mind, some Alaska democrats have earned a lifetime stay in a padded cell.

Folks even remotely knowledgeable about Governor Sarah Palin know all about the epic failures Alaskan democrat bloggers and their operatives have experienced in their attempts to smear the Governor. Currently they are batting 16-0 with their ridiculous “ethics complaints.” 17-0 if you count the failed “troopergate” attempt. Details are here, here, and here.

So what does Alaska’s official DNC blogger, Linda Kellen Biegel, have up her sleeve now? Well, she’s cooking up another ethics complaint, of course!

You might remember all of the commotion this hateful gal caused when she posted a photoshopped image of Governor Palin and her youngest child. It led everyone to ask why is it OK for democrats to attack small children, especially when they are the children of conservatives.

You’d have thought she’d learned her lesson from the fallout David Letterman experienced after his series of insults aimed at the Governor’s 14 year old daughter. But again, we are talking about the clinically insane here.

Biegel, who blogs as the Celtic Diva eventually took the photo down, and now has pages worth of explaining posted. That’s something else democrats are really good at. They will insult you in the most vile ways, and then “apologize” or “explain” things to you. But mostly they’ll just tell you that you aren’t smart enough to understand the nuance of discussing the rape of a 14 year old girl or how photoshopping a picture of a down syndrome child is some sort of high art form.

As you know, Biegel, who is rapidly becoming a laughing stock in the sane world, used the image of Governor Palin and young Trig Palin as part of a fund raising effort she has ongoing. She is raising funds to file more insane ethics violations complaints, of course, and says so on her blog. Now, she refuses to disclose donors names, and claims this is not a “political fund” so she doesn’t have to follow the law on this sort of thing. Or file the proper paperwork.

Ironic, because she wants to use this money in an effort to “gain more transparency” from Governor Palin.

No really, I’m not making this stuff up!

So what is Alaska’s self appointed “ethics chief” caterwauling about now?

Well, people who keep up with the Governor will tell you that she made a trip this weekend to visit Alaska National Guard troops during a training exercise off the coast, and then spent time at Camp Bondsteel Ferizaj, Kosovo and then visited wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

This is Governor Palin’s second trip abroad to visit her Guard troops. In 2007, not long after she was elected, she traveled to Kuwait and then Germany.

Funny thing, that wasn’t an ethics violation back then. But of course, she wasn’t the odds on favorite to unseat Barack Obama in 2012 either.

At any rate, as Commander-In-Chief of the Alaska National Guard, Sarah Palin was well within the scope of her duties on this trip. And as Maj General Craig Campbell, who accompanied the Governor on the trip pointed out in this interview, Governor Palin takes these duties quite serious.

The issue?

It seems our poor misguided Diva now fancies herself a constitutional scholar. Of course so do these two!

Something for the Palinbots to think about- Palin violated the US Supreme Court Greer vs. Spock decision which banned partisan political speeches or rallies on military bases. Palin also caused every soldier to violate a military directive that bars service members from attending partisan political speeches either in uniform, on duty, or at any military base/facility.

Isn’t it just a doozie that Palin would violate a US Supreme Court Decision – and top it off with having our soldiers violate military directives!”

Now I won’t even pretend to be a constitutional scholar, even though it seems that pretty much anyone can get away with saying so! But I will claim that I have a reading comprehension at or above the third grade level.

“Fort Dix, a federal military reservation devoted primarily to basic training for newly inducted Army personnel, and over which the Government exercises exclusive jurisdiction, permits free civilian access to certain unrestricted areas. However, post regulations ban speeches and demonstrations of a partisan political nature and also prohibit the distribution of literature without prior approval of post headquarters. Pursuant to these regulations, the commanding officer of Fort Dix rejected the request of respondent candidates for President and Vice President to distribute campaign literature and hold a political meeting on the post and the other respondents, who had been evicted on several occasions for distributing literature not previously approved, were barred from reentering the post. Respondents brought suit to enjoin enforcement of these regulations on the ground that they violated the First and Fifth Amendments. The District Court issued an injunction prohibiting the military authorities from interfering with the making of political speeches or the distribution of leaflets in areas of Fort Dix open to the general public, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. “

So basically this case was about the distribution of partisan election materials without prior approval. The case was upheld. It states that a military commander MAY restrict political speech as well as printed material. MAY is the key word here. Maybe it’s too many years pouring over the old NHRA rule book, but one tends to learn what words like “may” and “shall” and “must” mean.

The ruling goes on to leave us with this gem:

“As to the regulation governing the distribution of literature, a military commander may disapprove only those publications that he perceives clearly endanger the loyalty, discipline, or morale of troops on the base under his command, and, while this regulation might in the future be applied irrationally, invidiously, or arbitrarily, none of the respondents even submitted any material for review, and the noncandidate respondents had been excluded from the post because they had previously distributed literature there without attempting to obtain approval.”

Now you can watch Governor Palin’s speech to the troops, but unless you are a complete loon, or a member of the Obama Administration, a Governor thanking her troops for their hard work and sacrifice is hardly “dangerous” to the troops loyalty, discipline or moral! In fact, from the loud cheers she elicited from the troops, I’d say the Governor was a great boost to moral!

So where does this leave us?

Well, as we know, Linda Kellen Biegel is a seriously deranged woman void of all reason or self-restraint. So you can bet she is cooking up a way to file this ethics complaint! Of course, she may not do it herself. She has many surrogates like Andree McLeod or Sondra Tompkins, or Theodore “Chip” Thoma!

But her MO will be the same as always. Before she even files the paperwork, or gives it to a “designated hitter” to file, the details will be all over the internet. All of the various blogs will put it out, and the three hate bloggers from the Huffington Post, Amanda Coyne (whose husband conveniently works at the Anchorage Daily News), Jeanne Devon (AKMuckraker) and Shannyn Moore will most certain have star placement over at Arianna Huffington’s rag.

You know, these people are why we cannot get good and decent men and woman to take part in the democratic process in our country. Just as soon as a real leader emerges, folks like Biegel, and the rest pull out their tattered copies of Saul Alinsky’s “Rules For Radicals” and go to town.

It seems that all liberals are given a copy of the old communist “community organizer” from Chicago’s book, at birth.

So far, these miscreants have cost the state of Alaska around $300,000 and have run up a personal legal tab of around a half million dollars for Governor Palin.

Conservatives 4 Palin has a great list of contacts that you can get in touch with. One can certainly ask them if this sort of economic terrorism is something they really want to endorse. Or for that matter, see it used against them in the future. More and more conservatives are reading Alinsky these days!

You can also help spread the word through friends and on the various blogs you frequent. If nothing else, when these loons try to come out with this “complaint” everyone will already know that it is bogus!

And one thing more, this isn’t just about Governor Palin. These aren’t the only underhanded democrat operatives out there. Even if you aren’t one of Governor Palin’s strong supporters, remember this, if they’ll do this to her, sooner or later, they’ll do it to someone you do care about! This sort of character assassination and economic terrorism is standard operating procedure for the modern democrat party. Just ask David Axlerod or Rahm Emanuel!

In a week that saw Sarah Palin’s youngest child attacked by Alaska’s official Democrat National Committee blogger in an attempt to raise money to fund more personal attacks on the Governor, Palin finds herself pretty busy.

She was on a “secret trip” to a foreign land.

First stop was visiting the troops participating in Northern Edge 2009, Alaska’s largest military training exercise. Governor Palin and her husband first met with Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, Alaskan Command Commander, 11th Air Force; and Rear Admiral Mark A. Vance, USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) Strike Group Commander, before heading out to the USS John C. Stennis.

From there it was a short trip over to the USS Stennis to observe the exercises.

There is some cool raw video of the Governor landing and making some comments. One notes she carries her own gear.

During this stop she quoted Ronald Reagan:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Given the current situation in America, I’m not sure the Governor could have picked a better Reagan quote to use.

Here is a full version of her speech. At the end she gets a little shot in at Senator John Kerry, who served in Vietnam, much to the delight of the troops. This was a bit of payback for Kerry’s poor attempt of a joke made earlier in the week. Kerry has made a habit out of this sort of thing over the years.

I’m sure detractors will have something to say about all of this, but the fact is, Governor Palin takes her job as Commander-In-Chief of the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska Defense Force very seriously. The Governor made her first trip overseas to visit her troops in 2007, not long after her election. Being a lifelong hunter, she even took time to get in a little weapons training while in Kuwait.

As longtime Guard commander Major General Craig E Campbell pointed out in a September 2008 interview with Fox New’s Greta Van Susteren, Palin is one on the ball C-I-C. Saying that she was one of the best he had served under. That she actually cares about her responsibilities to the Guard.

In addition to the normal duties, Palin makes a point of attending every overseas deployment ceremony, and is at the airport to greet every single returning serviceman and servicewoman.

Alaska’s National Guard is unique, as it is the only state force that is on permanent deployment.

The 176th Wing, of the Alaska Air National Guard trains with and is part of the United States Air Force. They are vital to our air defenses, and are the first line of defense should Russia, North Korea, or China decide they want to become aggressive.

Governor Palin has has shared strategic command of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion.. And also commands the Alaska Defense Force, a federally recognized militia that is part of Homeland Security’s strategic plans. Palin also enjoys a top level of security clearance and receives regular security briefings.

Alaska is home to much of our missile defense systems. Governor Palin has been one of President Barack Obama’s strongest critics as he seeks to make major cuts in our missile defense dollars at the same time North Korea is fueling up long range ICBM’s and threatening nuclear war. North Korea is threatening a missile launch on the 4th of July with Hawaii as the target.

It’s Time to Take a Stand

There has been a lot of conjecture about the motivation of the liberals who have launched personal attacks on Governor Sarah Palin. Some have cited guilt quickened by watching Sarah Palin walk the walk and adhere to the conservative values that liberals scorn. Others have cited the bias and misinformation generated by liberal media. I think that both of these are true, but there is also a strong political component to these attacks.

Sarah Palin has been a strong and responsible governor who has managed her state’s resources wisely and upheld strong ethical standards. In fact, she cleaned up the good-old-boys establishment before she ever entered office. Her reimbursement of the State of Alaska for her children’s traveling expenses was well above usual expectations for one in her position. Although she had followed the precedents set by the two previous governors for family travel and the Alaska Personnel Board found no wrongdoing, Governor Palin agreed to pay for 9 trips for her children. Her attorney, Thomas Van Flein, made this remark in an e-mail, “The rules were, and are, being changed in midstream for Governor Palin. However, as noted in the agreement at the time ‘the Governor wants to exceed minimum legal standards.'”

It is known that Obama was directly involved in the “Troopergate” investigation, and it is suspected that Democrat operatives are heavily involved in the attacks and smears against Governor Palin. All you have to do is go online to see them at work. The liberal bloggers daily pollute the Internet with ridicule and outright lies in an effort to belittle and demean Governor Palin. It should be obvious to anyone that the intensity of these efforts demonstrates how much of a threat Sarah Palin is to their status quo.

Hollywood and the late night shows have joined in the radical left’s efforts to belittle this godly woman. After all, it is the celebrities that party in the White House and that raised tons of money for Obama’s campaign. Never in my lifetime have I seen any political figure attacked so intensely on such a personal basis. Not satisfied with their attacks on Governor Palin, they have now turned to demeaning and belittling her children. This has to stop. This is America, and we just don’t allow people to be treated this way, especially someone so undeserving of these attacks as Sarah Palin is.

It is time for those with conscience to stand up and say enough is enough. We won’t put up with character assasination attempts on an outstanding governor and the crude attacks on an ethical, morally upright woman’s children. The protest against David Letterman was just the beginning. No longer can we be silent in the face of such evil. With modern technology, we have the means to register our protests, to boycott when appropriate, and to stand up to politically-motivated personal attacks against Governor Palin and her family. Let’s roll!

Just when you thought liberals couldn’t sink any lower, hate blogger Linda Kellen Biegel proves that the levels of depravity from modern day democrats knows no bottom.

I mean we were just treated to the absolute disgusting display by so-called comedian David Letterman a couple of weeks ago, where he and his liberal viewers thought it was quite OK to call the married Governor and mother of 5 a “slut”, and then voiced his fantasies that featured Governor Palin’s 14 year old daughter! For an encore, Letterman called the daughter a whore one day later.

His apology consisted of claiming he meant to have a fantasy voiced about the Governor’s 18 year old daughter, and meant to call her a whore. Oh, and insulting those who were too stupid not to know that.

Nice people these modern liberals.

Well, as bad as what Letterman did, which was basically declare open season on women and young teen girls for sexual gratification, Linda Kellen Biegel has put old Dave to shame on the hate-o-meter.

Biegel, who I have written about extensively is part of the cabal of left wingers in Alaska who attack the Governor on a daily basis. She is also one of the driving forces behind all of the harassment “ethics complaints” against the Governor as well. And I am sure that she is not pleased that another bogus complaint was thrown out on Monday. The latest complaint to go down in flames was one by serial complaint filer Andree McLeod.

Biegel is one of the main reasons Governor Palin had to set up a legal defense fund. And her antics have also cost the state of Alaska about $300,000 to deal all of the bogus filings.

So what is Biegel up to now?

Well on her website Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis, she is having a fund raiser to fight for “transparency in government” which is a hoot considering who she supports nationally. And most likely just a way to fund more bogus ethics complaints.

And speaking of this fund raiser, many questions have already popped up wondering if she has actually filed the proper paper work with officials and declared her little piggy bank a political action fund.

Now at this point you might ask “who cares?”

Well, here’s the deal. In promoting her “fundraiser,” Biegel took it upon herself to photoshop a picture of Governor Palin and her youngest son, Trig.

Trig Palin, of course, is a downs syndrome child.

Biegel photoshopped the face of local radio host Eddie Burke onto a well known shot of Governor Palin with her son, Trig. The claim being that Burke, an outspoken supporter of Palin’s, is somehow “in the tank” for the Governor.

Again totally laughable considering that tonight ABC is airing an infomercial for President Obama’s push to socialized medicine, allowing no dissenting voices, and refusing counter advertising!

Of course, it was our fearless leader who made a joke about special needs children right after becoming POTUS on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. So I guess that was sort of code to let the liberal hate machine know it is OK to go after special needs kids, like Trig.

For contrast, watch Sarah Palin’s video address to the 2009 Special Olympics meet in Boise, Idaho.

Now if this was just one lone hate blogger, it would personally anger me, but I’d just blow this loser off, but that is not the case with Biegel.

Linda Kellen Biegel is an “official DNC blogger” who covered the 2008 Democratic National Committee’s convention in Denver for Alaska, and along with other hate bloggers, enjoys a prominent placement on the Alaskan democrat party’s official website.

This tells me that the Alaskan democrat party endorses the hate that Biegel, Jeanne Devon (Mudflats) as well as HuffPo regulars Shannyn Moore, and Amanda Coyne serve up on a consistent basis.

And as a Democrat National Committee “official blogger” one must assume they also endorse such egregious behavior.

As does Bob Poe, a potential democrat candidate for Governor, who just granted Biegel an interview. (H/T to our friends at Conservatives4Palin.)

And don’t forget, this woman is one of the feature players in filing all of the absolutely ridiculous “ethics complaints” against Governor Palin.

So one must consider these facts. Barack Obama himself has joked on national TV about special needs kids. A hate blogger, and obviously deranged woman who is trying to make a living attacking Governor Palin, also thinks it’s just peachy to attack the Governor using her special needs child. And by endorsement, both the Alaskan and national democrat parties seem to be fine with this sort of thing as well.

For me, I am sick of this deal. I don’t mind people who want to discuss policies. But liberals really never can. Especially when it comes to Sarah Palin. It is always personal, and very nasty. But in general, liberals cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas, so this is how they operate.

Also, for me, this has moved way beyond America’s Governor.

I make no bones about the fact that I strongly support Sarah Palin. I like what she stands for, and think she is the true transformational leader this nation needs to us get back on track. Her resume speaks for itself.

But at this point, it’s no longer just about her. Liberals have absolutely no boundaries any more when it comes to their smear campaigns. Nothing is sacred. No one is safe.

Lately we have seen massive attacks by the liberals, and the so-called mainstream media on all conservative women. The attacks on Carrie Prejean are well documented. Her stance on gay marriage, which is the same as Barack Obama’s, most certainly played a role in her loss as Miss USA and the eventual loss of her Miss California title. (A state that voted overwhelmingly to outlaw gay marriage!)

Then there was the attack by the Playboy blogger who described his violent rape fantasies against conservative women like Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann.

There was little effort to go after these haters though. Seriously non-existent push back from our side.

Then came Letterman and his hate speech against women and teenage girls. Thankfully, folks from all sides decided to denounce Letterman, and have caused many of his show’s sponsors to take their business elsewhere. In fact, there is still an ongoing effort to get Letterman fired just as CBS fired Don Imus for a lot tamer remark.

Here’s where I feel we are at as Americans, as conservatives, and as human beings. Are we going to continue to allow the very worst elements of society to smear Americans for no reason other than unbridled hate, and a difference in opinion, or are we going to take a stand?

It’s time we let these people know that enough, is enough!

It’s time to hold these people responsible for their actions.

It’s time to declare war on those who traffic in these disgusting practices.

What can you do?

Well for one, why not ask the Alaskan democrat party why they condone such vile attacks on women and children by one of their official bloggers. Why they think it is cool to attack special needs children. You can contact them online. Or here:

Via Mail :

Alaska Democratic Party

2602 Fairbanks Street

Anchorage, AK 99503

Via Phone :

(907) 258-3050

Via Fax :

(907) 258-1626

Ask the Democrat National Party the same questions. You can contact the Democrat National Committee online. Or here:

Via Mail:

Democratic National Committee

430 S. Capitol St. SE

Washington, DC 20003

Via Phone:

202-863-8000

You might even want to ask potential gubernatorial candidate Bob Poe about his obvious connection to Linda Kellen Biegel.

Bear in mind that French and Kerttula were key players in the failed “troopergate” smear attempt against Governor Palin, and French also has his eyes on the Governor’s seat. I think Americans in general, and Alaskan’s in particular need to know if this guy thinks it’s OK to go after women and children especially if he wants to have Alaska’s top job.

I’m sure readers will think of more people they can contact as well, my list is just a good start. And our friends at C4P are all over this with updated contacts as well.

Being someone who follows politics pretty closely, I am continually asked by friends why we have such poor representation, such pitiful politicians in the State House, Congress , and the White House. Well, one of the big reasons is guttersnipes like Linda Kellen Biegel, and her fellow Alaskan bloggers who trade in hate and lies. Think about it, why would someone want to subject themselves to all of these attacks?

When someone who is actually a decent leader, like Sarah Palin, dares put themselves out there, the liberal hate machine goes into high gear. America deserves better than this.

So here’s the deal. Are you going to continue to allow this sort of thing to go on? Are you going to continue to sit back and ignore attacks on decent people? Are you going to continue accepting vile and hateful attacks on women and children?

Sarah Palin Is the Favorite Potential Candidate of Both Moderate and Conservative Republicans

In the article below, Public Policy Polling discusses the results of a national poll they conducted last week which compared the popularity among moderate Republicans of Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Newt Gingrich. Their results show that Sarah Palin is the favorite potential candidate among moderate Republicans – just as she is among conservative Republicans. That should pretty much cover the Republican Party, wouldn’t you say? At least, I’ve not been hearing much about any liberal Republicans. It seems like those folks are usually on the other side of the aisle.

PPP refers to a CNN pollin which Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee were compared to Obama for the 2012 election. What they do not mention is that CNN found no clear frontrunner between the three among male respondents. However, Sarah Palin held a 10% advantage over Huckabee and a 12% advantage over Romney among female respondents. (I’m not sure how they did their math, but this sounds like an overall advantage for Sarah Palin to me.) There was a significant change from the CNN poll in December, in which Huckabee polled 2% higher than Palin among females. As Hot Air opined, the tide is turning – in many ways.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Palin: the moderate choice?

by Tom Jensen

Public Policy Polling

One interesting fact within our national poll looking at the 2012 Presidential picture last week: Sarah Palin is the most popular potential candidate with moderate Republicans.

61% have a favorable opinion of her to 53% for Mitt Romney, 50% for Mike Huckabee, and 44% for Newt Gingrich.

She’s generally thought of as the darling of the conservative wing of the party- and she’s the most popular there too as 83% view her positively to 79% for Huckabee, 77% for Gingrich, and 69% for Romney- but it may come as a surprise that she’s tops with moderates as well.

That popularity with the centrist wing of the party speaks well to her prospects for assembling the coalition of voters she would need to win the nomination…but she continues to poll the weakest in a general election match up, setting up what could be a hard choice for some GOP voters in 2012 between who they like the most and who they think can actually beat Barack Obama.

Since entering the national spotlight, Palin has been inundated by ethics complaints. Photo: AP

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s life has changed in a myriad of ways since she became the Republican vice presidential nominee last August, but one aspect of her newfound fame has been more bracing than the others: Since entering the national spotlight, Palin has been inundated by ethics complaints, most of them filed against her after she agreed to become Sen. John McCain’s running mate.

The complaints run the gamut, ranging from the governor’s use of state funds and staff to the workings of her political action committee and even to a jacket she wore to a snow machine race involving her husband.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many complaints have been filed because the state doesn’t keep count and the complaints are kept confidential by the attorney general’s office unless the state moves forward with a public accusation of wrongdoing. But in total there have been more than a dozen, and most of those have surfaced in the last seven months.

That much is clear because the complainants have a habit of notifying the media and bloggers each time they lodge a grievance. It’s evidence, say Palin’s defenders, that there is a clear political component to them.

“As we’ve been saying, the number of ethics complaints filed against the governor and her staff — as well as the tortured logic they contain — continue to constitute the most disturbing trend in Alaska politics,” said Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow in a recent statement after one ostensibly confidential complaint was sent to the Anchorage Daily News and other news outlets.

“In the past several months, we have seen an orchestrated effort by the governor’s opponents to make differences of opinion and ideology almost criminal,” said Mike Nizich, the governor’s chief of staff, in a statement. “Governor Palin has spent a considerable amount of time and money fighting ethics complaints – and no charge has been substantiated. I hope that the publicity-seekers will face a backlash from Alaskans who have a sense of fair play and proportion. I served six previous governors, and I’ve never seen anything like the attacks against Gov. Palin.”

The deluge of complaints is, in part, a reflection of the ease with which they can be filed. Any Alaska resident can submit a complaint in writing as long as it is signed under oath and contains details of the alleged ethics violation.

Judy Bockmon, who as the state ethics attorney at the Alaska Department of Law conducts the initial review of all complaints, said the state doesn’t keep track of how many are filed. “It’s not information that is useful to anybody,” she said, adding that the number of complaints seems “unusual.”

Many of Palin’s opponents have taken advantage of the low bar for filing and used it as a license to highlight their grievances with the governor.

“The number of complaints is a function of the misconduct of Governor Palin, Todd Palin and certain state workers,” said self-described government watchdog Andrée McLeod, who has filed four complaints alone. “Governor Palin constantly blurs the lines between her personal and political interests and the interests of Alaska and Alaskans. Alaskans are fed up and are finally doing something about it.”

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a California-based think tank that studies government reform and campaign finance issues, noted that Palin’s high-profile may be generating the extra scrutiny since Alaska’s ethics laws aren’t all that different than many other states.

‘It’s not just Alaska,” he said. “She’s an interesting official and attracts a lot of attention.”

Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich, who tangled with Palin when both served on the state Oil and Gas Commission before she became governor, said Palin may be more susceptible to attacks on her ethics from opponents because she “raised the ethics issue years before she came into office and made a major point of working to change the state ethics laws and regulation.”

“Some of the complaints over the last several months have been frivolous,” he said, “but others have been brought about by the high level of interest in ethics issues around Palin.”

Former Alaska governors “all did extremely similar things” that did not lead to ethics complaints, Ruedrich added, referring to the number of complaints as “unprecedented.”

The business of defending against the claims has been expensive. In late April, Palin was forced to form a legal defense fund in an effort to pay for more than $500,000 in legal debts accrued by the governor — though much of it stems from the “Troopergate” episode surrounding her attempts to fire a state trooper who was once married to her sister.

“Over the past months it became increasingly clear that supporters of Gov. Palin needed to help defend against the onslaught of frivolous attacks against her,” said Trustee Kristan Cole, a Wasilla native and Palin friend, in a statement. “These baseless accusations are designed to inhibit her ability to focus on the issues Alaskans truly care about and force massive personal debt on her and her family.”

To avoid additional accusations of impropriety, the fund set an unusually low, self-imposed cap of $150 per donation. It also volunteered to disclose the names and dollar amounts of each donor, leading Cole to call it “one of the most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history.”

Three days later though, another ethics complaint was filed — this time against the legal defense fund itself.

An Eagle River resident who had recently joined a federal lawsuit against Palin for failing to issue a proclamation commemorating the Juneteenth emancipation holiday in 2007, complained that Palin is misusing her office and receiving improper gifts by setting up the fund, accusing the governor of intending to raise much more than she needs to pay her legal debts.

“Governor Palin has at least 500,000 supporters between her Facebook, TeamSarah and other groups in support of Sarah Palin,” the complaint read. “If each of them were to contribute an average of $100 it would equate to $50 million. If they contribute an average of $50 it equates to $25 million. If half of them send $10 it equals $2.5 million. That’s personal wealth created for Gov. Palin by putting a for sale sign on our Alaska Governor’s Office.”

How Palin Beat Alaska’s Establishment

By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

The Wall Street JournalSeptember 5, 2008; Page A13

If you’ve read the press coverage of Sarah Palin, chances are you’ve heard plenty about her religious views and private family matters. If you want to know what drives Gov. Palin’s politics, and has intrigued America, read this.

Every state has its share of crony capitalism, but Big Oil and the GOP political machine have taken that term to new heights in Alaska. The oil industry, which provides 85% of state revenues, has strived to own the government. Alaska’s politicians—in particular ruling Republicans—roll in oil campaign money, lavish oil revenue on pet projects, then retire to lucrative oil jobs where they lobby for sweetheart oil deals. You can love the free market and not love this.

Alaskans have long resented this dysfunction, which has led to embarrassing corruption scandals. It has also led to a uniform belief that the political class, in hock to the oil class, fails to competently oversee Alaska’s vast oil and gas wealth, the majority of which belongs to the state—or rather, Alaskan citizens.

And so it came as no surprise in 2004 when former Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski made clear he’d be working exclusively with three North Slope producers—ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and BP—to build a $25 billion pipeline to move natural gas to the lower 48. The trio had informed their political vassals that they alone would build this project (they weren’t selling their gas to outsiders) and that they expected the state to reward them. Mr. Murkowski disappeared into smoky backrooms to work out the details. He refused to release information on the negotiations. When Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin suggested terms of the contract were illegal, he was fired.

What Mr. Murkowski did do publicly was instruct his statehouse to change the oil and gas tax structure (taxes being a primary way Alaskans realize their oil revenue). Later, citizens would discover this was groundwork for Mr. Murkowski’s pipeline contract—which would lock in that oil-requested tax package for up to 40 years, provide a $4 billion state investment, and relinquish most oversight.

Enter Mrs. Palin. The former mayor of Wasilla had been appointed by Mr. Murkowski in 2003 to the state oil and gas regulatory agency. She’d had the temerity to blow the whistle on fellow GOP Commissioner Randy Ruedrich for refusing to disclose energy dealings. Mr. Murkowski and GOP Attorney General Gregg Renkes closed ranks around Mr. Ruedrich—who also chaired the state GOP. Mrs. Palin resigned. Having thus offended the entire old boy network, she challenged the governor for his seat.

Mrs. Palin ran against the secret deal, and vowed to put the pipeline back out for competitive, transparent, bidding. She railed against cozy politics. Mr. Murkowski ran on his unpopular pipeline deal. The oil industry warned the state would never get its project without his leadership. Mrs. Palin walloped him in the primary and won office in late 2006. Around this time, news broke of a federal probe that would show oil executives had bribed lawmakers to support the Murkowski tax changes.

Among Mrs. Palin’s first acts was to reinstate Mr. Irwin. By February 2007 she’d released her requirements for pipeline bidding. They were stricter, and included only a $500 million state incentive. By May a cowed state house—reeling from scandal—passed her legislation.

The producers warned they would not bid, nor would anyone else. Five groups submitted proposals. A few months before the legislature awarded its license to TransCanada this July, Conoco and BP suddenly announced they’d be building their own pipeline with no state inducements whatsoever. They’d suddenly found the money.

Mrs. Palin has meanwhile passed an ethics law. She’s tightened up oil oversight. She forced the legislature to rewrite the oil tax law. That new law raised taxes on the industry, for which Mrs. Palin is now taking some knocks, but the political background here is crucial.

The GOP machine has crumbled. Attorney General Renkes resigned. Mr. Ruedrich was fined $12,000. Jim Clark—Mr. Murkowski’s lead pipeline negotiator—pleaded guilty to conspiring with an oil firm. At least three legislators have been convicted. Sen. Ted Stevens is under indictment for oil entanglements, while Rep. Don Young is under investigation.

Throughout it all, Mrs. Palin has stood for reform, though not populism. She thanks oil companies and says executives who “seek maximum revenue” are “simply doing their job.” She says her own job is to be a “savvy” negotiator on behalf of Alaska’s citizens and to provide credible oversight. It is this combination that lets her aggressively promote new energy while retaining public trust.

Today’s congressional Republicans could learn from this. The party has been plagued by earmarks, scandal and corruption. Most members have embraced the machine. That has diminished voters’ trust, and in the process diminished good, conservative ideas. It is no wonder 37 million people tuned in to Mrs. Palin’s convention speech. They are looking for something fresh.

Gov. Sarah Palin on Tuesday appointed a former assistant secretary of state in the administration of George W. Bush to be Alaska’s new attorney general.

Daniel S. Sullivan was assistant secretary of state for economic, energy and business affairs from 2006 until the Obama administration came into office in January.

Sullivan has not lived in Alaska since 2002 but has professional and family connections to the state. Palin said he has a strong background in and out of the state.

“His leadership and negotiating achievements at the highest levels of the U.S. government, including on issues of vital importance to the State of Alaska, will help ensure that the interests of Alaska and our citizens are advanced and safeguarded,” she said.

Sullivan’s resume is heavy with military, federal government and foreign policy experience. He has spent limited time practicing law. But he said skills in advocacy, negotiation and management are also important to an attorney general. His experience includes time in the White House as well as the State Department.

“My wife and I love Alaska, we were here for several years and always were interested in coming back,” he said. “Two of our kids were born here, we still own a house here.”

He is not related to Anchorage Mayor-elect Dan Sullivan.

Palin’s past picks for Alaska attorney general have been lightning rods for controversy.

The Legislature in April rejected her last choice, Wayne Anthony Ross, the first time in state history that a head of a state agency has failed to be confirmed by the Legislature. Her first attorney general, Talis Colberg, resigned in February under pressure from lawmakers over his attempt to quash legislative subpoenas in the “Troopergate” investigation of whether Palin abused her power and pressed for the firing of an Alaska State Trooper who was her former brother-in-law.

The Legislature will vote on Sullivan’s confirmation sometime after the next legislative session begins in January. The House and Senate judiciary committees will hold hearings on him, but early reaction was positive.

Fairbanks Republican Rep. Jay Ramras, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, predicted the Legislature would approve Sullivan “with accolades” on a unanimous vote.

“His primary character trait seems to be humility, which is in welcome contrast to the last attorney general designee,” said Ramras, referring to Ross. “His resume makes him probably overqualified for the position.”

Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a leading figure in the Troopergate investigation, agreed that Sullivan “obviously has a very impressive resume.”

“We still need to have a conversation with him about how he feels about issues crucial to Alaskans,” French said.

As for the amount of time Sullivan has been gone from Alaska, French said “there are many talented Alaskan lawyers and, indeed, talented lawyers within the (Alaska) department of law.”

“And as a former department of law employee, I had some hopes that the governor would promote from within. But I think Mr. Sullivan has distinguished himself in a variety of legal areas. We’ll see through the hearing process whether he’s able to get a handle on Alaskan issues,” French said.

Sullivan said his first act after Palin announced he had the job Tuesday was to send out letters to each legislator letting them know how serious he is about working with them. He said called up several legislative leaders to convey the same message.

RECORD OF SUCCESS

Sullivan, 44, is originally from the Cleveland area and went to Harvard University for his undergraduate degree. He received a law degree and master’s in foreign service in 1993 from Georgetown University, where he met his eventual wife, Julie Fate of Fairbanks.

Fate was working for Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens at the time and was later a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She’s the daughter of former Alaska state representative Hugh Fate and Mary Jane Fate, whose positions have included co-chairwoman of the Alaska Federation of Natives, president of the Rampart Village Corp. and regent at the University of Alaska.

After law school, Sullivan went to officer candidate school in the U.S. Marines and was on active duty until moving to Alaska in 1997. He remains a major in the Marine reserves.

Sullivan clerked for U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Andrew Kleinfeld of Fairbanks from 1997 to 1998 and for then-Chief Justice Warren Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court until 1999. He joined the Anchorage office of the law firm Perkins Coie in 2000, where he practiced business and corporate law.

Sullivan, in a Tuesday interview, refused to say who his clients were at Perkins Coie. He said he considers that to be a confidentiality issue.

Sullivan, asked about potential conflict of interest questions with those clients, said “one of the first things I’m going to do is meet with the ethics attorney and walk through what the procedure is in regards to conflicts.”

Sullivan said he takes it seriously and would abide by the procedure to the letter. It’s been an issue in the past with the job. Gregg Renkes, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist and political consultant with no prior experience practicing law in Alaska, was named attorney general by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2002 only to resign less than three years later after being investigated for his role in a state trade deal that could have benefited a company in which he had financial ties.

D.C. EXPERIENCE

Sullivan left Alaska in 2002 after receiving a White House fellowship from Bush. “The reason I left Alaska was pretty straightforward, to serve my country in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, we were away a little bit longer than we anticipated,” he said.

He was with the White House as a director in the International Economics Directorate for the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. Sullivan was called to active duty with the Marines in 2004 as an adviser to the U.S. Central Command.

Bush then appointed Sullivan to be assistant secretary of state for economic, energy and business affairs from June 2006 until the Obama administration took over in January. Sullivan oversaw a staff of 200 at the state department, according to the governor’s office.

“Dan was a trusted colleague of mine, both at the White House and State Department. I frequently relied on his sound judgment and expertise,” former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice said in a written statement.

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she’s known Sullivan and his wife for many years.
“Dan’s recent accomplishments as assistant secretary of state have already benefited Alaska. I personally worked with him on a number of these matters, including Law of the Sea and our country’s new Arctic policy,” she said.

Sullivan said he also worked with the Canadian government on the question of what agreements, if any, would be needed if a natural gas pipeline were constructed from the North Slope through Canada to the Lower 48.

The current chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, Dana Fabe, said she remembers Sullivan from his time clerking for the court. She said he’s a good lawyer and leader who organized the law clerks to participate in the Toys for Tots program at Christmas. “I think he’s just a terrific attorney and has all the qualities needed to be an excellent attorney general,” Fabe said.

Sullivan said he’s been looking to get back to Alaska for years.

Mark Kroloff, the chief operating officer for the Arctic Slope Regional Corp., said Sullivan called him up and said he and his family were hoping to return to Alaska. Sullivan was asking about what was happening within the state’s business and political community. “I (told him I) thought there was a lot of opportunity here for him in the political or business world.” Kroloff said.

He said he wasn’t sure how Sullivan came to the attention of Palin. Sullivan declined to get into specifics of who called who, saying “there was a sense of a possible mutual interest,” and he started talking to the governor’s office about the attorney general position. He said it wasn’t set up through Washington, D.C., Republicans, but rather during trips to Alaska in recent months.

The Alaska Bar Association registry lists Sullivan with an address in Bethesda, Maryland, but he said he’s now moved back into his home in Anchorage. Records show he received permanent fund dividends at Alaska addresses from 1999 through 2002, and then in 2003 with a Washington, D.C., address.